Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-04-22

/
a favorite place Of resort for amuse
ment. There were other places ofpop:
ular outdoor resort in hot weather
without the city. New York seems to
have been as comfortable in the
summer time as it IS now. In Phila-
delphia the assembly and the theater
provided for amusement lovers. he
assembly room was at Oeller's tavern
and made one of the sights
OF the town. The length was
sixty feet. The walls were papered in
the French frshion and adorned with
Pantheon figures, festoons and pilas-
ters, and groups OF antique drawings
Across one end was q fine music gal
lery. The rules of the assembly were
framed and hung upon the wall. The
managers had entire control. With
out their leave no lady could quit her
place in the dance nor. dance out OF
her set, nor could she complain if they
placed strangers or brides at the head
of the dance. The ladies were to rank
in sets and draw for places as they en-
tered the room. Those who led might
call the dances alternately. When
each set had danced a country dance
a cotillion might be had if eight ladies
wished it. Gentlemen could not come
into the room in boots, colored stock
ings, or undress."
One of Mr.. McMaster's long chap
ters is devoted exclusively to the SUP
iect OF the ordinary life of town and
country, and is a rich storehouse ofin-
formation concerning this very essen
tial part of history. The matter of
dress is treated in highly interesting
fashion. "Dress became every season
more and more hideous, more and
more uncomfortable, more and more
devoid OF good sense and good taste.
Use and beauty ceased to becombined.
The pantaloons of g. beau went up to
his arm-pits; to get into them was a.
mornings work, and when in to sit
down was impossible. His hat was too
small to contain his handkerchief, and
was not expected to stay on his head.
His hair was brushed from the crown
Of his head toward his forehead, and
looked, as satirist of that day truly
said, as if he had been fighting an old
fashioned hurricane backward. About
his neck was a spotted linen necker-
chief; the skirts OF his green coat were
cut away to a mathematical point be-
hind; his favorite drink was brandy,
and his favorite talk OF the last
French play. \ \ Even these alb
surdities We're not enough, and when
1880 began fashion was more extrava-
CANT still. Then beau was defined as
anything put into a pair Of pantaloons
with a binding sewed around the
top and called vest. The skirts OF
the coat should be pared away to the
width OF a hat-band, and if he was
doomed to pass his time in the house
he would require heavy pair OF round
toed jack-boots, with a tassel before
and behind. Il Women were
thought worse than the men. To de-
termine the style OF their dress, fashion,
decency, and health, the statement
was, ran race. Decency lost her
spirits, health was bribed by a. quack
doctor, so fashion won" The theaters
sought to provide for all tastes. We
read of an occasion when the perform.
ance consisted of the "Beaux STRAIT
agem,' the Federal Bow-Wow," a
comic opera called the "Poor Soldier, :"
a hornpipe, slack-rope tumbling, and
the pantomime of the death of Capt.
Cook" all in one evening. "In the
theaters at the north it often happened
that the moment a well-dressed man
entered the pit he at once became a
mark for the wit and insolence of the
men in the gallery. They would begin
by calling on him to doff his hat in
mark OF inferiority, fos the GUS
tom OF wearing hats in the
theater was universal. Ii he
obeyed he was loudly Kissed and
troubled no more. If herefused abuse,
oaths: and indecent remarks were
poured out upon him. He was spit
at, pelted with pears, apples, sticks,
stones, empty bottles till he left the
house. AS the blades in the gallery
were poor marksmen the neighbors OF
the man aimed at were the chief SUI
ferers. On one occasion the orchestra
was put to flight and some instru-
ments broken" In New England the
puritan sabbath still had strong
hold, although it was rapidly under
going modification. "Pious men com
planned that the war had been a great
demoralizer. Instead of awakening
the community to a. lively sense OF the
goodness of God the license OF war
made men weary of religious restraint.
The treaty Of peace had not been
signed, the enemy was still in the land,
when delegates to the general court OF
Massachusetts boldly said the sab
bath WAS too long. Country members
demanded q sabbath of thirty-s six
hours; town members would give but
eighteen, and had their way. The eff.
feet was soon apparent. Levity, pro.
taneness, idle amusements, and sab.
bath-breaking increased in the
towns with fearful rapidity. What,
the sober-minded cried out, is to
become OF this nation? Be
fore the war nobody swore, nobody
used cards. Now every lad is pro
ficient in swearing and knows much o.
cards. Then apprentices and young
folks kept the Sabbath, and, till after
shutdown, never left their homes but tc
go to meeting. Now they go out on
the sabbath more than any other day
IN the week. Now the barber-shops
are open, and men of fashion must
needs be shaved on the Lords dav
They ride on horseback; they take
their pleasures in chaises and hacks
How much better, they say, is this
than sitting for two hours in a. church
hearing about hell? Who would not
rather ride with a fine young woman
IN hack than hear about the devi
from Adams's fall? Equally interest
Ing passages might be multiplied in
definitely from these pages, but enough
nave already been gwen to show now
different is the conception of Mr.. Nc
Masters work from that of ordinary
histories and to convince our hearers
that the book is we'll worth readins
from first to last. Beginning about
where the work of Bancroft leaves off